BLM to Conduct Prescribed Burn in Tooele County

Salt Lake City, Utah—Bureau of Land Management (BLM) West Desert District fire personnel are planning to conduct a prescribed burn in western Tooele County, Utah. The prescribed burn is planned to occur as early as April 24, 2013, and burning activities may extend through the following week. The burn will be conducted within the Union Pacific Railroad easement on BLM-administered lands near I-80 between the communities of Delle and Clive.

The primary objective of this prescribed burn is to reduce the potential fire hazard created by tumbleweeds that have accumulated on both sides of the railroad tracks. Burning will occur in different sections along the railroad, totaling 15-30 acres. The burn is being conducted while adjacent vegetation is in a green-up stage and unlikely to carry fire outside the designated burn area.

Smoke and flames may be visible from I-80, but travel should not be affected. Prescribed burn operations are expected to last two to four days.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.